* HR 839…
Short Description: DEFEND PORK & BACON
Synopsis As Introduced
Calls upon the leaders of the State of Illinois to recognize and continue to defend the importance of bacon and other pork products, along with the pork producers, to the economy, job growth, and the consumer preference of the people of Illinois.
* Erickson…
Against the backdrop of a recent report linking processed meat to cancer, six Republicans introduced a resolution last week showing their support of bacon and other pork products.
Asked Tuesday if the proposal stems from the World Health Organization report warning about the health effects of eating certain meat products, state Rep. Steve Andersson of Geneva said, “You betcha. It was in direct response to that.”
Members of the newly rendered bacon lobby include Andersson, Avery Bourne of Raymond, Grant Wehrli of Naperville, Mark Batinick of Plainfield, Reggie Phillips of Charleston and Keith Wheeler of Oswego.
All are freshmen members of the House.
* My BBQ guru is Craig “Meathead” Goldwyn. Meathead is keenly interested in the science of cooking, so, as I always do with anything meat-related, I checked his site on the topic…
The report is problematic and extensive mainstream and social media coverage has been sensational, unquestioning, and often flat out wrong.
Let’s start with the fact that of the 22 scientists from 10 countries on the panel, 15 voted for the conclusions that were published and 7 disagreed or abstained. Usually these panels seek consensus and one prominent food safety scientist I discussed the results with was surprised at how far they were from consensus. Why the significant dissent and why publish such far reaching conclusions designed to change lifestyles and damage livlihoods with a vote of only 68%? And why publish only a summary? Where is the full report? […]
Many media reports equated the meats with cigarettes because they are both Group 1. As an NPR listener and donor I was shocked to read this headline on their website “Bacon, sausage and other processed meats are now ranked alongside cigarettes and asbestos as known carcinogens.” After several days they changed it. […]
So why didn’t they say so in the document so uneducated reporters would know better than to equate cigarettes with bacon? And why not explain the risk? I want to know what the odds are that I’ll get cancer if I eat two slices of bacon with my eggs every morning. The WHO panel says that eating 50 grams of processed meat (less than 2 slices of cooked American style bacon) per day increases your odds of colorectal cancer 18%. And they leave it at that. What the heck does that mean?
The Center For Disease Control (CDC) says that over a lifetime your risk of colorectal cancer, the focus of the WHO research, is under 5%. Two slices of bacon will up the odds to less than 6% not 23% (5% + 18%) as some math challenged reporters have told us.
Heck, according to CDC data, the incidence of colorectal cancer is significantly higher in Pennsylvania than in Maryland. Should we conclude Maryland is bad for your health and evacuate everyone? […]
The panel based its conclusion by studying existing studies, a practice called meta-analysis. Many media reports claimed they looked at 800 studies, but that’s not exactly true. They started with 800 and eliminated all but 15 red meat studies and 18 processed meat studies.
Conclusion? Noted legislative bacon fan and liberal Democrat Rep. Greg Harris ought to join the bacon caucus and co-sponsor this resolution.
*** UPDATE *** From Rep. Steve Andersson…
Rich,
After your comments on the blog today about the Bacon caucus, Rep. Greg Harris called me in the spirit of bipartisanship and asked to be added to the Resolution. Done and done!
Steve
Hooray!
- State Engineer - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 12:33 pm:
Here it is the one issue the entire GA can get behind!! After all Who doesn’t love Bacon, Brats, and Hot Dogs!
Besides Ms. Ives loves when Pork goes to her district “How Dare You oppose pork!”
- Dave Dahl - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 12:39 pm:
Sounds like somebody’s pork project.
www.instantrimshot.com
I never sausage a thing.
www.instantrimshot.com
There are some things in the resolution we don’t like; can we strip them out?
www.instantrimshot.com
- How Ironic - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 12:46 pm:
Afternoon Rich,
Gov Bruce Rauner would love to join this bipartisan effort to support bacon. However, until Mike Madigan and the swine he controls agree to Bruce’s RTW and runaground agenda, these talks can’t begin.
Best,
ck!
- Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 12:47 pm:
“Members of the newly rendered bacon lobby…”
LOL
- Anon - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 12:52 pm:
Rich, I think you effectively illustrated what’s wrong with many of these types of news stories. Without digging considerably deeper, one is easily misled by these headlines and stories. I don’t know if it’s due to agenda-driven reporting, incompetent or lazy reporting or something else. Regardless, it begs the questions what is actually “news” and what is propaganda these days. If you’re eating two eggs every morning, my doc would say you have more to worry about than the bacon. That said, my grandparents had bacon, eggs - often with biscuits and sausage gravy - virtually EVERY day for breakfast, and they both lived well into their 80s. I take most of these types of health stories with about the same seriousness as a tabloid headline due to the questionable reliability like you pointed out.
- @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 12:55 pm:
You can have my sausage when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.
– MrJM
- Give Me A Break - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 12:58 pm:
“wherein they hoist rows of animals (kept in small cages where they can’t turn around or even scratch them selves) and keep them suspended up over manure pits for easy cleanup?.”
Well that pretty much describes new House members offices in the Stratton.
Just saying.
- Tuesday's Pizza - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:03 pm:
My grandmother ate bacon for breakfast everyday of her life and she died. She was 94.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:05 pm:
For some of us, life causes cancer. We all have to die sometime. Why would you want to live a long life if all you can eat is quinoa, kale and broccoli?
- the Patriot - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:05 pm:
I have heard it said that everything tastes good if you just wrap it in bacon. Perhaps the Governor could wrap his turnaround agenda in some, and send it to the speaker. Or, the speaker could wrap the necessary tax hike that would balance the budget in bacon to make it more palatable for legislators.
- illini - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:08 pm:
Honestly, I am surprised that my Rep ( Meier ) and Sen ( McCarter ) did not sign on to this. Both represent the national Headquarters of
The Maschhoffs, one of the top 10 pork producers in the country ( and they have just bought into chickens as well ). Yet, I am certain, they will both support this if it comes to a floor vote, but what are they doing to fix the budget other than following the BVR agenda?????
- Keyser Soze - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:26 pm:
If you never eat bacon, your risk of contracting lower tract cancer is about 5%. If you consume lots of bacon, the odds rise to about 6%. To those who exercise good judgement, it must be said….bon appetite!
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:27 pm:
I’m whole hog in favor of this bill. A pig in every pot, I say. Would I buy a pig in a poke? Answer…absolutely, because it’s that good. Oink if you love bacon.
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:39 pm:
47th Ward
Quinoa, kale and broccoli all taste wonderful when cooked with bacon fat.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:45 pm:
To this day, there is not a better sandwich than a bacon sandwich: super crispy bacon, toasted bread and either mayo or horseradish sauce.
- Mekong Cafe - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:48 pm:
Every physician I have talked with, long before the WHO report has advised me that processed meat and red meat dramatically increase the risk of cancer, along with smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. People who live in countries where diets lack red meat and processed pork have negligent rates (almost non existent) of contracting these related cancers.
I love steaks and bacon (together and separate) but I also like to acknowledge reality. Food today is not made the same way it was 20 years ago. Everything about the process is different. It’s not the same product. If you want a steak the same way it was cut in 1990, go to the Old Capitol Farmers Market and pay fair market value for it. Or you can go see Steve Anderson and Guy Fieri as your primary physician.
- Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:48 pm:
The greater risk lies in the risk to the environment posed by the CAFOs that are permitted based on outdated laws and regulations.
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:52 pm:
I was listening to a podcast just this morning that discussed this. The “Group 1″ category (bacon along with smoking, et al) is a measure of the WHO’s confidence that the effect is real, and not a measure of how strong the effect is.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 1:58 pm:
There is mutton to see here, moooove along.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 2:50 pm:
I heard that death is terminal and that the death rate for humans is 100%. I mean, it isn’t as though we are going to live forever.
- nona - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 2:52 pm:
One issue is the quantity of processed meat consumed. Americans eat a lot more than most.
It’s probably no coincidence that vegetarians enjoy a lower rate of colon cancer than meat eaters.
- Anon2U - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 3:22 pm:
Vegetarian… Old Native American name that translates to: Bad Hunter.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 3:27 pm:
I’m happy to see Rep. Harris make this a bipartisan endeavor, but so pleased that, once again, Oswego, the center of it all, has a presence in this Caucus’ founding.
I hope there are t-shirts.
Love this.
- Phenomynous - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 3:33 pm:
Add this to the list of measures that republicans have introduced and the democrats have helped support…a worker’s comp bill, PPP of DCEO, and now bacon.
If that’s not meeting the middle then I don’t know what is.
- jake - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 3:45 pm:
Of course everybody dies. The issue is how early does one die and how early does one contract diseases associated with aging. Facts are stubborn things and can’t be changed by legislation or denial. The statistics, which are quite robust, say that if your diet is heavy on red meat, and especially processed red meat, you are likely to get sick sooner and die sooner than if your diet is heavy on fish and plant products. You are certainly free to say that you enjoy carcinogenic foods so much that they are worth having a higher chance of early cancer and death, and even free to deny the validity of the statistics (although the consensus of statisticians is that they are valid), but Mother Nature has the last word.
- Earnest - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 3:57 pm:
Finally! Bipartisan cooperation between the rank and file lawmakers. Do you they’ll sneak a compromise budget package into the resolution as well?
- AlabamaShake - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 4:19 pm:
**Honestly, I am surprised that my Rep ( Meier ) and Sen ( McCarter ) did not sign on to this. **
Meier is signed on, and it is a House Resolution, so McCarter cannot sign on.
- Enviro - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 4:56 pm:
Another reason to avoid pork and beef is the environmental impact of raising meat on factory farms.
“Op-ed: Healthy bacon? An environmental price:
If you do choose to eat bacon, buy it from a local, independent farmer, who treats his or animals humanely, lets them live freely and fully, and who is a responsible steward of the environment. That is the healthiest decision not just for individuals, but for all of us on this fragile planet.”
- illini - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 4:58 pm:
Where can I get the T-Shirts?
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 4:59 pm:
In the spirit of environmental stewardship, anything that helps us de-populate our overcrowded planet should be welcomed with open mouths.
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 5:19 pm:
The taste of bacon is our best weapon against Isis.
- Ultragreen - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 6:36 pm:
I encourage Republicans and DINOS to eat as much bacon, and other kinds of high cholesterol processed meat, as possible. There’s nothing to worry about, right?
- Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, Nov 4, 15 @ 7:19 pm:
I’m gonna miss Erickson.
Can’t wait to read his stuff out of Jeff City.
- Angry Chicagoan - Thursday, Nov 5, 15 @ 8:30 am:
See Mekong Cafe’s comment. Avoid cold cuts and any other highly processed meat including anything cured with nitrates. “Uncured” meat — which is to say, deli sausage and bacon done in the traditional way with salt and spices rather than nitrates — should be fine.
- markg8 - Thursday, Nov 5, 15 @ 12:21 pm:
“Heck, according to CDC data, the incidence of colorectal cancer is significantly higher in Pennsylvania than in Maryland. Should we conclude Maryland is bad for your health and evacuate everyone?”
What does this even mean? Colorectal cancer is a good thing?